Americans have recently (in the last fifty years) stopped saving, at least in the traditional sense.
Our friends and neighbors have one of the lowest savings rates of any developed country.  Yet that doesn't mean we don't have wealth.  The number one place people in the United States store their wealth is in their homes.  Over One hundred billion dollars is presently being stored in home equity.

Home Equity

As home owners become more aware that their equity is doing nothing to help them become wealthier they are increasingly looking for safe ways to get access to this missed fortune and to put it to use.

Some borrowers are using mortgages, some home equity loans and some are applying for a home equity line of credit.  Yet most home owners are not…